Deep learning-based optimization for motion planning of dual-arm assembly robots

With the rapid technological and economic development, a growing number of companies are employing robots for their production and service operations. Motion planning is a fundamental topic in robotics that has received wide attention due to its importance in the development of industry 4.0 and intelligent manufacturing systems. This study sought to develop a deep learning-based optimization algorithm for planning collision-free trajectories of dual-arm assembly robots in complex operational environments. Given the high dimensionality of the robotic motion patterns, a Bi-directional Rapidly-exploring Random Tree integrated with the Long Short-term Memory (LSTM-BiRRT) method is proposed to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the planning process. Numerical experiments demonstrated that the LSTM-BiRRT algorithm outperforms the state-of-the-art approaches developed for motion planning of dual-arm robots in both two- and three-dimensional environments. The developed algorithm reduces the path length of the robotic operations at a significantly shorter computational time. The LSTM-BiRRT algorithm can serve as a strong benchmark for future developments as well as applications in the process autonomy across intelligent supply chains.